Who has or is planning to get an electric car / EV Talk

[Reverend Benny]

Plenty of secondhand EV’s on the market that are the same price as comparably aged ICE cars. Sure they are expensive if you go for premium German brands and want to buy new but so are the ICE models. I think the more choice on the market, the more affordable EV’s have become. At the very bottom of the market it might be unaffordable (£3k to £7k) as all that’s available is 6 to 10 year old Nissan Leaf’s etc. The £15k to £30k bracket has a plethora of choice now.

EV’s aren’t for everyone yet, not trying to suggest they are as many households across the country would struggle to home charge, especially terraced houses and flats. I’m convinced EV’s will be one of a few viable options going forwards and hopefully they sell enough to be available, but not too many that the convenience of owning them becomes more difficult. Purely a selfish stance by me but it’s very nice at the moment to be using an EV.

Yes, its still a bit "early" for some (like me) to get an EV. I am not looking at getting a premium German car but still somewhat premium. Currently looking at the new Cupra Born/ID3 if I can can convince the real-estate company I'm renting from to offer charging options.
The bizarre thing is that there is powerplugs installed but they are only available at winter for the winter engine warmers.
Sure, 6A only but would be enough to charge during night.
The problem is that they don't want to invest in charging boxes but at the same time don't wanna offer some to charge as they aren't sure how to sort out payment for it.

There are great solutions out there for these sort of situations but I guess as EV's become more popular and the demand for charging and people willing to pay for it increase it will be solved.

Older EV's aren't for me, it would be a bit of a downgrade tbh and they don't suit my needs just yet (towbar, range etc)
But the ones release now are what I am looking for so might cling on to my somewhat environmental friendly biofuel car for a few more years and get a used one EV when they are a few years old.

Another option is PHEV, but no point if I can't charge it.

 

[dmr727]

Just bought an i4 xDrive40. So far so good! Had the electrician out yesterday to quote putting a level 2 plug in the garage, and he'll be installing it next week.

 

[Reverend Benny]

Just bought an i4 xDrive40. So far so good! Had the electrician out yesterday to quote putting a level 2 plug in the garage, and he'll be installing it next week.

Congratulations...I won't even ask how much you paid for it...:-D
It really feels like BMW has found its way back with the new series of EV's they have released recently. Flippin gorgeous cars.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Just bought an i4 xDrive40. So far so good! Had the electrician out yesterday to quote putting a level 2 plug in the garage, and he'll be installing it next week.

Enjoy your new purchase.

 

[Surfsalot]

I like my electricity to make a noise and not have to wait for backup batteries to recharge…

Guess you really don’t care about the environment after all, just your pocket lol

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Guess you really don’t care about the environment after all, just your pocket lol

I was being ironic and using your logic with EV’s and jokingly applying it to a spoof preference for where my electricity comes from. A sort of reverse psychology as you will.

I do care about the environment but it wasn’t the motivation for getting an EV. My wife’s company bought it for her and the tax is £18 a month as opposed to hundreds it would be for an ICE vehicle. She gets £800 a month allowance and that goes back to the company to pay for the car, it’s not money that we miss. It costs little to charge and is effectively a free car for us. I still drive a diesel A4 myself as my daily. The Q4 is her car and our main family car and it’s a pleasure to drive and use generally. So yeah, pocket does come before the environment I will admit.

 

[Reverend Benny]

I look forward to the ID2 and similar releases from VWs siblings Seat/Cupra, Skoda and Audi.

Volkswagen ID GTI EV Concept First Look: Hatchback Time Machine

The "I" in the VW "GTI" Concept electric vehicle no longer stands for "injection" but instead now "intelligence." Oh, and it can mimic old GTIs.

www.motortrend.com

 

[dmr727]

Congratulations...I won't even ask how much you paid for it...:-D
It really feels like BMW has found its way back with the new series of EV's they have released recently. Flippin gorgeous cars.

Thanks! Not that it was inexpensive by any means, but as midlife crises go, it felt reasonable to me.

I like that it drives and looks like a BMW. And believe it or not, I actually *use* my turn signal!

 

[Reverend Benny]

Thanks! Not that it was inexpensive by any means, but as midlife crises go, it felt reasonable to me.

I like that it drives and looks like a BMW. And believe it or not, I actually *use* my turn signal!

Well you will soon claim you have run out of turn signal juice and allign to the rest of the beemer crowd 😁

 

[Apple fanboy]

Well you will soon claim you have run out of turn signal juice and allign to the rest of the beemer crowd 😁

Oh. I always use mine thank you!

 

[I7guy]

Congratulations...I won't even ask how much you paid for it...:-D
It really feels like BMW has found its way back with the new series of EV's they have released recently. Flippin gorgeous cars.

I love Bimmers. If I had the garage space I'd get an M4. Gorgeous cars. After all of this time, BMW hasn't forgotten how to make enticing gas vehicles. But an EV is a different story. I love that I'm driving a computer that also has wheels. I really like the lack of clutter and the interaction with the car has been tuned to a "t" by Tesla.

 

[WC7]

Maybe would go for a small EV (VW?), or a hybrid (Toyota?).

 

[jz0309]

Maybe would go for a small EV (VW?), or a hybrid (Toyota?).

VWs small” EV in the US is the ID4, a midsize SUV, they have different offerings in Europe - where are you located?
In the US there’s nothing small in the EV space, but also look at Hyundai Ioniq 5/6

 

[WC7]

VWs small” EV in the US is the ID4, a midsize SUV, they have different offerings in Europe - where are you located?
In the US there’s nothing small in the EV space, but also look at Hyundai Ioniq 5/6

out west. but I saw a 500 fiat plugged in at a home?

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I love Bimmers. If I had the garage space I'd get an M4. Gorgeous cars. After all of this time, BMW hasn't forgotten how to make enticing gas vehicles. But an EV is a different story. I love that I'm driving a computer that also has wheels. I really like the lack of clutter and the interaction with the car has been tuned to a "t" by Tesla.

The lack of physical buttons in a Tesla is a major downgrade for me. We aren’t allowed to touch our mobile phones when driving even if they are mounted in a dock on the dashboard, but we can navigate through multiple menus to turn the heating on or off if it’s a built in screen. Thats a drawback for Tesla in my view, I think basic functions like fans and AC should be buttons the driver can quickly access without distraction. When I drove a model 3 it was the one thing I hated in what was otherwise a pleasant car to drive.

 

[jz0309]

out west. but I saw a 500 fiat plugged in at a home?

Not sure if that’s still being offered. But if used is ok, look at Bolt too

 

[WC7]

Not sure if that’s still being offered. But if used is ok, look at Bolt too

Just looked up the Fiat 500e ... it seems still being offered. Looks like they deduct the $7500 government amount from the total of the lease. So that is $336 per month (10,000 mile per year for a 3 year lease) although they say that is without any security deposit. But that total works out to ~$12,100 for the 3 years. So, not bad for being green? Downside is the limited city range of that car: 160 miles.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Just looked up the Fiat 500e ... it seems still being offered. Looks like they deduct the $7500 government amount from the total of the lease. So that is $336 per month (10,000 mile per year for a 3 year lease) although they say that is without any security deposit. But that total works out to ~$12,100 for the 3 years. So, not bad for being green? Downside is the limited city range of that car: 160 miles.

How often do you drive more than 160 miles?

 

[jz0309]

Just looked up the Fiat 500e ... it seems still being offered. Looks like they deduct the $7500 government amount from the total of the lease. So that is $336 per month (10,000 mile per year for a 3 year lease) although they say that is without any security deposit. But that total works out to ~$12,100 for the 3 years. So, not bad for being green? Downside is the limited city range of that car: 160 miles.

There are multiple good lease offers out there (Tesla, Hyundai…), imho better than that Fiat, gives you better range and charging speed… so do some shopping around…
And as for used, if it’s 2 model years old (eg a 2022) you get $4000 fed credit

 

[I7guy]

The lack of physical buttons in a Tesla is a major downgrade for me. We aren’t allowed to touch our mobile phones when driving even if they are mounted in a dock on the dashboard, but we can navigate through multiple menus to turn the heating on or off if it’s a built in screen. Thats a drawback for Tesla in my view, I think basic functions like fans and AC should be buttons the driver can quickly access without distraction. When I drove a model 3 it was the one thing I hated in what was otherwise a pleasant car to drive.

I’m not sure. Climate control is voice controlled. in addition if you have laryngitis a simple swipe in the screen changes the temperature. Wipers are stalk controlled.

It’s not perfect. For example adjusting the steering wheel really requires you to be stopped.

The radio design I’m not fond of, but favorites can be set and there are a preponderance of options.

There is little you have to interact with the screen that would correct would correct an unsafe condition. So that leaves navigation and navigation almost always to do a major function you interact with the screen. Even CarPlay.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I’m not sure. Climate control is voice controlled. in addition if you have laryngitis a simple swipe in the screen changes the temperature. Wipers are stalk controlled.

It’s not perfect. For example adjusting the steering wheel really requires you to be stopped.

The radio design I’m not fond of, but favorites can be set and there are a preponderance of options.

There is little you have to interact with the screen that would correct would correct an unsafe condition. So that leaves navigation and navigation almost always to do a major function you interact with the screen. Even CarPlay.

Unless you have an idrive which is much easier to use than a touchscreen on the move.
Not a fan of voice controls. I like the 10 programmable physical buttons I have in my car.
Navigate home. One button push. Call Mrs AFB another button push.
Favourite radio station another. I don’t need to take my eyes of the road.
AC, heated seats and hot air are already taken care off with their own dedicated buttons already.

But we’re all different and if it works for you then great. We all use a car differently.
What I would like that Tesla’s do is the automatic navigation to chargers when needed and the fact you don’t have to bother with contactless payments etc when using the Tesla charging network.
A much better set up.

 

[WC7]

How often do you drive more than 160 miles?

I don't think I drive even that far in a week! (Retired)

 

[Apple fanboy]

I don't think I drive even that far in a week! (Retired)

Which is kind of the point. If you only do a journey of that sort of distance a few times a year, lugging round a huge battery that can do 300 miles doesn’t make sense.
I go into the office twice a week which is 35 miles each way. I charge once or twice a week depending on what else I’m doing. Just plug it in when I get to the office. It’s usually at 100% around lunchtime.

 

[I7guy]

Unless you have an idrive which is much easier to use than a touchscreen on the move.

I think it's all what you are used to. On a recent vacation I rented an 2024 X5 m40. Pretty much loaded. I couldn't get used to idrive and used the touchscreen almost 100%. I found waze to be better than the standard BMW navigation app.

Not a fan of voice controls. I like the 10 programmable physical buttons I have in my car.

I again think this is what you are used to and what you are willing to learn. In the scheme of things I think voice control is superior than removing your hands from the steering wheel. But I admit in the end it probably doesn't make a difference.

Navigate home. One button push.

For me on the Tesla, it's one screen press as the navigate home is always displayed.

Call Mrs AFB another button push.

This is again for me a voice command. (I wouldn't call Mrs. AFB lol, but Mrs. i7Guy.)

Favourite radio station another. I don’t need to take my eyes of the road.

I can cycle through my favorites with the steering wheel controls.

AC, heated seats and hot air are already taken care off with their own dedicated buttons already.

This is set and done. Climate control in the Teslas is superb. If I need to change the temp either voice command or a quick swipe on the screen. Again it boils down to what you are used to.

But we’re all different and if it works for you then great. We all use a car differently.
What I would like that Tesla’s do is the automatic navigation to chargers when needed and the fact you don’t have to bother with contactless payments etc when using the Tesla charging network.
A much better set up.

I agree. And as I said above, it's what you are used to. But to me the overriding thing is because Teslas have a screen and buttons, it doesn't necessarily mean any interaction with the screen is needed - provided the car is setup before the drive.

 

[WC7]

Which is kind of the point. If you only do a journey of that sort of distance a few times a year, lugging round a huge battery that can do 300 miles doesn’t make sense.
I go into the office twice a week which is 35 miles each way. I charge once or twice a week depending on what else I’m doing. Just plug it in when I get to the office. It’s usually at 100% around lunchtime.

That's really nice ... but if I only had that job to go into for twice a week. I agree ... that is my complaint about ev in general, the weight. But, I am still loathe to sell my VW 2018 Beetle to go green with the Fiat 500e ... even though they are basically the same weight ~3000#.